International School on Climate Mobilities 2025

We are tremendously excited to launch the fourth annual International School on Climate Mobilities, co-hosted by Beyond Climate Collaborative, the Department of Development Studies and the School of Law at SOAS University of London.

Location
Online (via Zoom)
Date
May 26, 2025 - July 9, 2025
Learn moreApply now
A green river lined with trees on both sides. Photo by Pubarun Basu.

Contents

Brief Overview

Co-hosted by Beyond Climate Collaborative, the Department of Development Studies and the School of Law at SOAS University of London, this year, the ISCM will welcome a maximum of 200 participants to enroll in the summer school. The 2025 programme will bring together more than forty leading experts to deliver lectures, convene rigorous seminars and share their first-hand experience of the impacts of climate change and related displacement over the course of seven weeks.

Placing questions of differential vulnerability and environmental justice at the center, the ISCM unpacks topical themes related to climate and environmental (im)mobilities throughout weekly lecture and seminar sessions.

Course Structure & Key Dates

Spanning across topical themes of the online six-week course, the ISCM offers a blend of rigorous and engaging lectures and seminars.

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Note: Some regions observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) during June and July. Please ensure you account for DST when checking local times.

All ISCM sessions take place online via Zoom over a seven-week program:

  • Lectures: Mondays, 16:00 – 18:00 UTC
  • Seminars: Wednesdays, with three sessions to accommodate global time zones
    • Seminar 1: 8:00 – 10:00 UTC
    • Seminar 2: 16:00 – 18:00 UTC
    • Seminar 3: 23:00 – 01:00 UTC

Week 0

Introduction to the ISCM

Introduction Lecture – Monday, May 26th

Social Networking Seminars– Wednesday, May 28th

Week 1

Multiple and complex drivers and agency in climate-related (im)mobilities

Lecture – Monday, June 2nd

Seminars – Wednesday, June 4th

Week 2

Environmental (im)mobilities, health, food and livelihood security

Lecture – Monday, June 9th

Seminars – Wednesday, June 11th

Week 3

Climate Justice: Unpacking coloniality, gender, race, class, Indigeneity and climate-related displacement

Lecture – Monday, June 16th

Seminars – Wednesday, June 18th

Week 4

Protection Politics: Climate mobility, human rights and refugee law

Lecture – Monday, June 23rd

Seminars – Wednesday, June 25th

Week 5

From structural violence to ‘resource wars’: the climate change, conflict and displacement nexus

Lecture – Monday, June 30th

Seminars – Wednesday, July 2nd

Week 6

Building resilience in the context of environmental (im)mobilities: Mitigating risks, enhancing adaptive capacity and addressing loss & damage

Lecture – Monday, July 7th

Seminars - Wednesday, July 9th

Beyond the Classroom

At the International School on Climate Mobilities (ISCM), you will have the opportunity to virtually connect with fellow participants and team members during social networking opportunities throughout the program. Additionally, we will host side-events in collaboration with various organizations and universities, focusing on career pathways and topics beyond the core ISCM curriculum. These side-events are designed to deepen understanding, foster networking, and open new avenues for professional development in the growing field of climate mobility. To broaden the impact and inclusivity of our initiatives, these side-events will also be open to non-ISCM participants.

Who should apply?

The ISCM welcomes students, recent graduates, academics, practitioners and change-makers from all corners of the world who are keen to unpack how we problematize and respond to climate and environmental-related (im)mobilities in the twenty-first century. We welcome participants at different stages of their research, advocacy and career journeys and encourage diversity – across geographies and disciplines.

We encourage participation amongst change-makers who are passionate about advancing resilience to climate change and environmental shocks through disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, as well as those who champion human rights-based protection for those who move and those who stay to cope with the intensifying impacts of climate change, disasters and environmental degradation.

If you are passionate about researching the nuances of climate-induced migration, displacement and immobility, influencing new laws and policies, providing life-saving assistance in the humanitarian sector or engaging in sustainable development programming on climate change and migration, this course is for you!

Eligibility

To be considered, applicants must have advanced English language skills to participate. In addition, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Student (postgraduate student or recent graduate of a postgraduate degree program
  • Academic (pursuing or have obtained a PhD) or Academic Professional (postdoc, research fellow, lecturer or professor)
  • Practitioner (working professional, advocate or activist)

Note that exceptional applications from undergraduate students or recent graduates of undergraduate degree programmes may apply and be invited to enroll.

Attendance, Participation and Engagement Expectations

  • We expect our participants to attend the lecture and one of the seminar sessions every Monday and Wednesday respectively for the duration of the seven-week program.
  • ISCM participants will be expected to come prepared to seminar sessions each week by completing reading assignments and engaging through our online discussion forum.
  • We expect our participants to adhere to all ISCM Community Ground Rules for an Inclusive & Respectful Learning Environment, which includes treating each other with dignity and respect; listening to and learning from participants’ points of view while recognizing that there may be difference of opinions and disagreement; respecting peers and instructors when constructively critiquing their ideas and listening to understand; keeping discussion and comments on topic and relevant to key themes of the ISCM; and a zero tolerance policy on the use of inflammatory, offensive or profane language.

Program Fees & Financial Assistance

While we wish that we could offer the ISCM free of charge, a lot of hard work goes into making the ISCM possible, and we believe it is important to support the team who makes it all happen!

The ISCM will be offered at an accessible rate to all participants. Selected applicants will be expected to confirm their enrollment and pay the respective fee shortly after receiving an enrollment offer in April.

We are proud to offer around 30 percent of ISCM spots at fee-waived or reduced rates to exceptional applicants who may not otherwise be able to attend. Applicants will have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship or reduced rate spot to attend the ISCM through the online application form.

The program fees have been set at the following rates:

Full Rate: $1,000.00 USD  

Discounted Rate: $500.00 USD  

Scholarships are available for individuals with lived experience of displacement or climate-related disasters, as well as for climate justice activists and youth advocates working on climate mobility.

How To Apply

Applications will only be accepted through the 2025 ISCM Online Application Form.

Applications for the 2025 ISCM programme are open between February 7th - February 28th, 2025 at 11:59pm UTC.

What you can expect on the online application form:

  • Provide general information (e.g. name, email address etc.)
  • Confirm they meet all eligibility criteria and understand our attendance, participation and engagement expectations
  • Comprehensively answer questions about their motivation and interest to enroll at the ISCM and share a short vision statement.
  • Indicate your preferred seminar cohort choices.
  • If applicable, explain why you should be considered for a reduced fee, based on several indicators (e.g., employment status, access to healthcare, ability to cover essential expenses like phone bills). To be considered for any specific scholarship, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant experience.

We will assess our applicants on the following criteria:

  • Meets eligibility requirements
  • Demonstrable interest in researching and/or advocating around issues addressed at the ISCM
  • Indication that participating at the ISCM will aid the applicant in (future) research and advocacy pursuits and career development
  • Indication that the applicant will be actively engaged during ISCM sessions and seminar discussions, contributing to a respectful and enriching dialogical forum

Applicants can expect to hear back from the ISCM team with the outcome of their application in April.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll get back to you soon.

iscm@beyondclimatecollaborative.org

ISCM 2024
“I loved learning from all the many different experts, scholars and practitioners that came to every class, as well as sharing this space with students from all over the world. In particular, it think the perspectives, experiences and case studies shared from the Global South enriched the School in a very unique way. And the integration of critical discussions about race, ethnicity or gender made the classes more engaging and challenging. After these 6 weeks, I left with more questions than answers - in a way that it has encouraged me to keep diving into the topic of climate (im)mobilities”
Esther Montesinos Calvo-Fernández
University Cork College (Spain)
ISCM 2023
"This is exactly what I was hoping to achieve from the ISCM—a global and interdisciplinary overview of climate migration that would help me better understand how the specific issues I confront every day in my work fit into the bigger picture"
Vanessa Rivas-Bernardy
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (USA)
ISCM 2024
“My experience with the ISCM was transformative and enlightening. Collaborating with over 100 diverse scholars and practitioners Globally, we delved into the intricate challenges of climate-related (im)mobilities. Over six weeks, the program provided a robust educational journey, fostering critical analysis and dialogue across social sciences, environmental studies, and development disciplines during lectures and seminars. Expert insights and firsthand accounts of climate impacts enriched my understanding, guiding me towards creating inclusive and sustainable solutions to impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities worldwide”
Dr. Lucy Mandillah
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Kenya)
ISCM 2023
"To begin with, my entire preliminary understanding of climate migration was completely shaken and rebuilt with the introductory week that focused on 'Multiple and Complex Drivers and Agency in Climate- related (Im)Mobilities.' Grappling with the multi-layered concepts of (Im)Mobilities and Agency for the first time was a truly enlightening experience. Similarly, the other weeks that followed, each broke a nascent understanding of mine on a particular issue and alternatively built a highly dense foundational understanding"
Philo Magalene A
Protect Our Planet Movement (India)
ISCM 2023
"The ISCM provided a platform for me to collaborate with like-minded activists and develop practical strategies to raise awareness and drive policy changes. Inspired and empowered, I came to my workplace ready to amplify my voice and make a meaningful impact in the fight against climate-induced migration"
Hasibul Hasan
Global Youth Mobilization & Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (Bangladesh)
ISCM 2022
“The platform is one of a kind and probably the only one to help unravel the many facets of climate change and migration in a holistic and interactive manner. It has helped me humanise an otherwise seemingly distant phenomenon like climate change”
Anonymous Participant
ISCM 2023
"The experts that presented during the lectures and those who moderated the seminars were very open to questions and felt like they were learning along the way with the participants"
Radwa Adel Hassan Adawy
SOAS University of London (Egypt)
ISCM 2022
“What a remarkable venue for bringing together climate and migration researchers and practitioners from across the globe, opening spaces for sharing insights, experiences, and outstanding questions from multiple perspectives from the personal to the legal and everything in between.”
Dr. Jeremiah D. Osborne-Gowey
University of Colorado Boulder (USA)
ISCM 2023
"The ISCM was an eye-opening experience for me, a first-generation learner and internal climate migrant, as we delved into the complex world of climate change, mobility, refuge, and migration. Connecting with experts and peers, I learned about the global impact of climate-induced displacement, inspiring me to contribute towards a sustainable future and igniting a passion for environmental advocacy"
Prashant Jibhakate
ISCM 2023
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India)
ISCM 2023
"The seminars were a highlight for me; the intimate setting allowed for deep discussions and genuine connections with fellow participants. Engaging in the online discussion forums and completing the weekly reading assignments enriched my understanding and broadened my perspective"
Valerie Quintero Borrero
Universidad del Valle & Université Aix-Marseille (France)

Be the first to know when to apply

Applications will open on February 7th and be open until February 28th, 2025 at 11:59pm UTC.

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Apply now for the 2025 ISCM Programme